I Will Make You Hurt
by Wildlark
Summary: Bruce Banner's relationship with "The Other Guy" is more complicated than you think. A series of one-shots where he interacts one-on-one with his fellow Avengers.
1. Prologue

"Just for one night," Tony had said.

"It will be fun," he said.

One thing Bruce had trouble explaining to people – or, maybe, they just had trouble understanding – was that whenever there was fun around, the Other Guy wanted to join in.

He wandered quietly through the halls of the S.H.I.E.L.D. base, taking his time to observe the adamantium that lined the walls and pretending to be interested in that. Other hallway commuters, mainly S.H.I.E.L.D. agents he vaguely knew, instinctively moved as far away from him as possible when passing by, but he didn't even glance anymore; the dull pain of loneliness that the Other Guy's involvement brought barely hurt him anymore. And the Other Guy didn't seem to mind at all when people ignored them; it was only during an upfront attack that the monster wanted to be let loose.

Bruce had told everyone that he had tamed the beast to a controllable extent. In reality, the Other Guy was like the common cold; you can do your best to prevent it from appearing, but when it does appear, there's no cure, just some diligent treatment until it is subdued.

All Bruce had done in the past decade was perfect his hygiene, in a way, so that his other side was less likely to show up when not called for. But he wasn't a complete germaphobe and he knew he never would be; he could never explain this to anyone else, that he was sure of, but in a way, the Other Guy's pain brought him comfort. It was one of the few things they both shared besides a body.


	2. Enter Bruce

A/N: Hi guys! Yes, I'm writing this story in little bits at a time. And yes, for those of you waiting on Show Choir Was Never an Option, I'm getting to that, too. Busy with school life and all of that, and now that it's summer I'm kind of immersing myself in about ten different shows right now and they're all amazing, so sorry for the lack of activity.

…

24 hours prior…

The former Stark Tower, now known as Avengers Tower, is just as clean and slick as Bruce remembers from last time he visited. That was right after repairs had been done to fix the damages done to the old tower after the Loki incident. Sixth months have past since the Avengers have gotten together, and as far as Bruce knows there hasn't been much going on with any of them. He's been lying low in India, as he had been for years before Miss Romanoff showed up.

The elevator doorman stands poised in the front corner, his red and gold uniform inspired by the Iron Man uniform – a detail Tony insisted on keeping when the Tower changed its focus. Most of it, in fact, still resembles the old Stark Tower, with the only major difference being the giant "A" at the front of the building as opposed to the former name of the tower being spelled out in great big letters. Bruce and the others have gotten too used to Tony's narcissism to try to reason with him. Bruce had, however, noticeably been the first one to give up on changing Tony's mind, something the others would have been quick to criticize him for if it weren't for the fact that they were still on edge about his condition.

They've gotten so close in the past few months, and still everyone is worried about upsetting the Other Guy. But they can't upset him, Bruce knows; he's always angry. It's just a matter of how much strength he has in the inner tug-of-war with Bruce, and how long he can keep a grip on their body before Bruce pulls himself back to the surface.

But it's pointless to try to explain. Absolutely pointless.

The golden doors open with a ding as the elevator reaches the 150th floor. Bruce adjusts the small pack of belongings on his shoulder and steps onto the polished wooden floor of the Tower's top floor lounge. He glances briefly around at the familiar panoramic view, the bar off to one side of the room, the small glass coffee-table near the carpeted center of the room that is several feet lower than where Bruce is standing (accessed by either a few steps or a ramp), the computer projectors hidden here and there by blending into the lounge's design.

For Tony, it's considerably modest.


End file.
